


Five Things That Could've Gone Differently in Pacific Rim Uprising

by predilection



Category: Pacific Rim (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Fix-It, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Mako Mori Lives, Minor Raleigh Becket/Mako Mori, Pacific Rim: Uprising (2018) Fix-It, please handwave all the medical and technical stuff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-07
Updated: 2018-05-07
Packaged: 2019-05-03 07:36:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,161
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14564163
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/predilection/pseuds/predilection
Summary: The helicopter is falling, spinning out of control, and Jake reaches out to grab it out of the air.He can't fail. Not now. Not like this. Not when his sister's life is on the line.Not when she's the only family he has left.





	Five Things That Could've Gone Differently in Pacific Rim Uprising

**Author's Note:**

> Because as much as I enjoyed this movie, I came out of the theater itching to write fix-it fic.
> 
> This fic contains canon-levels of violence and angst, and, of course, major spoilers. Also, I refer to the main jaegers as "Lady Danger" and "Lady Avenger" in recognition of [the problems with their original names](http://pacificrim.wikia.com/wiki/Gipsy_Danger_\(Jaeger\)#Controversy).

**I**

The helicopter is falling, spinning out of control, and Jake reaches out to grab it out of the air.

He can't fail. Not now. Not like this. Not when his sister's life is on the line.

Not when she told him bedtime stories and shared her toys and patched up his skinned knees. Not when she fought to stay in contact with him after he tried to disappear. Not when she kept bailing him out of trouble and offered him this second chance. 

Not when she's the only family he has left. 

It's a relief when the hand of his jaeger curls around the helicopter, its rotor blade abruptly stopping as it meets its palm, but as he lowers the helicopter to the ground as gently as he can, he prays they weren't too late. 

The rogue jaeger shot at the helicopter twice before he and Nate could get there, and Jake witnessed the fireball that took out its pilot. The helicopter is still smoking on their vid screen, and Jake doesn't waste any time. He disconnects their neural handshake and unhooks himself from his harness.

"Jake?" Nate asks. "What are you--"

But Jake is already gone, running from the con-podd, out an emergency hatch, and scrambling to find the fastest way to the ground.

The helicopter isn't smoking as much by the time Jake gets to it, its J-Tech fire suppression systems doing their job, but the body of it is warped from the missile impacts and from the jaeger's grip. "Mako!" he shouts, finding the emergency release of the door closest to him and yanking it open.

Smoke pours out, but it's not nearly as much as he feared. Still, he's glad for his flight suit and the protection it offers as he pushes his way into the helicopter and again yells, "Mako!"

He sees a glimpse of her through the smoke and it's like an image out of his worst nightmares. She's unnaturally still, her body slumped forward and held up by her restraints, her head lolling to the side and her hair a mess over her face. Heart in his throat, he moves as fast and efficiently as he can to unhook her from her restraints, and the moment she's free, he's pulling her body to his chest and lifting her.

Nate's there the second he's out of the helicopter -- the second the air becomes clear again -- and he helps Jake settle her down on the asphalt. 

"Mako!" Jake screams as Nate checks her vitals, trying not to choke on his fear as he folds his body over hers, his hands on her shoulders, shaking them. "Come on, Mako!"

"She's breathing," he hears Nate say, and he falls forward, his helmet keeping his forehead from touching hers as the relief hits him, so heavy and sudden it's almost painful. Then he's pulling back and looking her over. 

"Call for a medic team," he tells Nate. There's blood down one side of her arm and face. Her skin thankfully doesn't look burned, but he knows she's suffered injuries that aren't visible, not to mention smoke inhalation.

"I already did," Nate says. "ETA two minutes." Nate takes off his helmet, and after the two of them carefully fit it over her head to help feed her oxygen, Jake tilts his head back and stares up at the sky. 

It's overwhelming and terrifying to know how close that had been. If he had been a second later, if he hadn't caught her, if the explosion that killed the pilot had been any stronger...

But the ifs don't matter. Not anymore. She's alive. 

He caught her. He saved her. He made it in time. 

 

**II**

"It's great to finally have you over," Newt says, taking Hermann's coat as he steps into Newt's apartment for the first time. 

As Hermann expected, Newt's clutter is everywhere -- there's clothing and notes and other detritus on every surface -- but, at least at first glance, he can't see any signs of anyone else living here.

"Where's Alice?" he asks.

"Oh, she's in the bedroom. Do you want to meet her?"

"Of course," Hermann huffs. "That was the point of inviting me over, wasn't it?"

The point was really to see Newt -- to get a glimpse of his life now that he's moved to the corporate world and left Herman behind. To understand, perhaps, why he seems so different and distant now, even though they were once so close.

"This way," Newt says, holding out an arm and inviting him in the direction of an elevated room.

Hermann spots the portable drifting unit when they're still climbing up the stairs, the headset of it resting in an armchair by the window, its cords twisting across the floor. He turns, following them with his eyes to their source and freezes.

A familiar Kaiju brain is in a glass tank on the other side of the room, one of its appendages tapping on the glass. If that wasn't bad enough, the name "Alice" is written on the tank in what appears to be red lipstick.

Hermann's dedicated his life studying monsters. He's used to horror. But his mind is having trouble keeping up with the layers and layers of it he's just discovered. And that horror only multiples as he considers the changes he's seen in Newt over the years and realizes that _this_ was likely the cause.

Slowly, he turns back towards Newt and finds Newt looking back at him, something sly and calculating on his face that's nothing like the friend he remembers. "You remember Alice, don't you?" Newt asks in a low tone.

Hermann wants to scream. He wants to take Newt by the shoulders and shake him until he comes to his senses. He wants to find the nearest garbage can and be sick. He wants to run.

But he knows the look on Newt's face, even though he's never seen it on his face before. He knows he's in danger -- that he's being tested.

He's never been much of an actor, but he tries his best to push down his panic as he asks, "Why didn't you tell me?"

Newt is still eyeing him carefully. "You would've stopped me from talking to her."

"Then why tell me now?"

"Because," Newt says, and then stops to smile. The way it stretches his face is downright eerie. "I was really curious if _you_ wanted to talk to her again. She has a lot of good things to say, you know?"

"What kind of things?"

"Things that I could use your help with. We could work together again. Like old times."

Hermann can read between the lines, and there can be nothing good about the things Newt is working on if he's being influenced by a Kaiju brain or the creatures that manipulate its hive-mind.

There's only one thing he can think to do. He tightens his hold on his cane and forces an uncomfortable smile as he manages to say, somewhat convincingly, "Alright. For old times' sake."

The eerie smile on Newt's face grows, and then he does what Hermann was hoping he would: he turns his back to him to fetch the headset. The moment he does, Hermann takes a deep breath, lifts his cane, and slams it into Newt's head with as much force as he can muster. 

Newt staggers, but before he can recover, Hermann slams it into his head again, and though the blow is inelegant and sloppy, Newt falls to his bedroom floor hard, his body thumping against the hardwood.

Hermann keeps his cane poised just to be safe as he pulls out his phone and calls the PPDC. Behind him, he hears the brain banging against the glass in protest.

As he waits for help to arrive, he stares down at Newt's prone form and tries to ignore the way his breath is coming out in gasps and the way his eyes feel wet. Instead, he focuses on his friend and hopes that he isn't too late -- that whatever he's been working on can be stopped and that, ultimately, he can be saved.

 

**III**

Jake's already in the med bay, sitting by his sister's side and taking comfort in the rise of fall her chest and the steady noises of the machines monitoring her, when Raleigh rushes into the room, coming to an abrupt halt at the foot of Mako's bed. 

It's been barely twenty-four hours since the incident with the rogue jaeger. Jake doesn't know where Raleigh was, only that he was doing something important on Mako's behalf, on her orders, and that he dropped everything to be here. 

The bag slung over Raleigh's shoulders falls to the floor with a thud. "Mako," he says, pained, and joins Jake at her bedside. He barely notices Jake though, all his attention focused on his sister. His eyes flicker from the visible cuts on her arms and on her face, to the bruises on her shoulders from where her restraints dug into her skin. Then he puts his hand over hers and closes his eyes.

"They said she should wake up in the next few hours," Jake tells him softly, and hopes it's a comfort the same way it is for him. After all, Raleigh is the only other person left in the world who knows his sister as well as he does, and though their relationships with her are different, they both love her intensely.

Raleigh opens his eyes and turns to him, his face etched in pain and worry. Jake hasn't seen him since before he dropped out, and he looks older, the lines on his face deeper, harder. But there's still something soft about him -- still something caring and vulnerable that Mako told Jake she always admired.

Jake doesn't know exactly what they are to each other. Friends and former co-pilots, sure. But since Raleigh came into Mako's life, they've been something more too. 

As if taking a cue from Jake's thoughts, Raleigh turns back to Mako, bends down, and presses a gentle kiss against her forehead. He pulls back, just enough to look at her face, and he stays like that, gazing at her, his care for her palpable.

When he stands up straight again, there are tears in his eyes, and he's twisted his and Mako's fingers together. Jake puts a hand on Raleigh's shoulder, offering comfort, and Raleigh turns towards him easily, pulling him into a hug with his free arm. It's unexpected, but Jake finds himself clinging back. He presses his face into the soft material of Raleigh's sweater and his breath hitches.

Jake's held it in and held it back this long, but this is the only other person in the world who understands what Jake's feeling right now. He lets the tears fall from his eyes and holds on.

 

**IV**

Amara's heart leaps to her throat as Guardian Bravo is thrown into a skyscraper. She's knows how jaegers work and what damage they can take, and that was a direct hit not only to Guardian Bravo's key systems, but to its con-podd.

Though Bracer Phoenix has their own Kaiju to worry about, and Jinhai and Vik are relying on her, she can't help but yell, "Ilya! Suresh!"

There's silence over the comms and the dread she feels only multiplies when Guardian Bravo doesn't get up.

"Guardian Bravo, report!" Ranger Lambert shouts in her ear.

A moment later, Jake adds, "Guardian Bravo? Now's a good time to let us know you're alright."

There's still no response, and her own con-podd rocks as the Kaiju they're fighting slams into them with its tail. Amara tries to focus, to get her head back into the fight, but Guardian Bravo is still not moving and...

She can't help but remember what Suresh said about wanting jaegers at his funeral.

And then she's not longer in Bracer Phoenix but on a familiar pier again, watching a giant monster wade through the water, coming closer and closer to taking her family from her.

Alarms start blaring and something hits Bracer Phoenix, causing it to stumble, but Amara barely notices. She spent so much time alone. She finally, _finally_ found a place to belong again -- found people who are like a family to her -- and she knew they would all be risking their lives but this is--

"Amara!" Jinhai screams, both aloud and directly into her mind, forcing her back to the present and the now, and Amara almost doesn't lift the jaeger's arm in time to block the Kaiju's next attack.

She can't worry about this now. She can't. She has to stay focused. But--

"Guardian Bravo reporting." It's Suresh's voice that comes over the comm and he sounds breathless. "Ilya and I have sustained injuries but we're okay. Guardian Bravo isn't going anywhere though." He seems disappointed about that, and for a second Amara can't understand why, because they're alive.

 _They're alive._ She closes her eyes and takes a second they can't really afford to center herself.

When she jumps back into the fight, she knows she's different. Her relief stays with her and so does her fear of losing her loved ones, but it's easier to concentrate on the battle now. The people she cares about the most in the whole world are the people who are standing between the world and its demise, but that just means she has to fight harder. She just found a family again. She has to do everything she can to make sure they all come home.

 

**V**

When Jake steps onto the tarmac, Nate's already there in his matching flight suit, helmet in hand. "Ready?" Jake asks.

Nate nods. "Yeah, but I was thinking we could try something a little different." 

Three giant Kaiju have already made their way to the coast of Japan, and it's up to them and their cadets to save the world. This is either the very best or the very worst time to try something new. Before Jake can ask though, Nate gestures towards their jaeger, a small smile on his face.

Jake turns and walking towards them is Mako in her old black flight suit, PPDC logo displayed proudly on the shoulder, the helmet under her arm giving off a faint orange glow. "Mako," he breathes, and it's like her name has been punched out of him. 

Because after she took on the role of Secretary-General, he was sure she would never pilot again. Because this is his sister who is standing with him at the end of the world just like she's stood with him through thick and thin his whole life. Because he's never drifted with her before and never thought he'd ever get the chance.

"I figured I could partner with one of the cadets instead. Give them the support they need," Nate explains. "So I asked her for a favor."

Mako is close enough now to hear them and she replies, "It is no trouble, Ranger Lambert." 

She's smiling but the cut on her cheek from the rogue jaeger attack is still covered in a bandage. Jake briefly considers protesting this -- that he should try to tell her that she needs more time to recuperate -- but he knows his sister. Any attempts he makes to stop her will be fruitless and only frustrate her. Besides, Nate's right. It's better if he supports their cadets, and Mako has more experience piloting jaegers than any of them.

It's only when the two of them are in Lady Avenger's con-podd, harnesses secured and ready to drift, that Jake feels nervous. Not simply because they have a limited amount period of time to stop the world from being destroyed, but because soon their minds will be connected in a way they've never been before. 

He has no doubt, given their shared life experience and their care for each other, that they'll be drift compatible. But there are things he knows he's messed up -- countless times he knows he's let her down. He dropped out, after all. He left her behind and didn't even tell her where he was for the first few months, despite knowing she was worried. Then he stole and sold jaeger parts on the black market for years relying on her to keep him out of jail. He hasn't always been the best brother even if she's always been the best sister he could've ever asked for. 

So he closes his eyes as they begin drift protocol and tries to keep his fears at bay.

Images and fragments of memories flash through his mind, there and gone in an instant. Some of them are his. Mako surprising him with a cake on his birthday. Her arm around his shoulders as he recovers from a well-deserved dressing down from their father, her voice soft and supportive. The joy he felt the first time he drifted with Nate. Him and Nate eating ice cream together in the kitchens after dark. Him waking up alone in his half-mansion on the ruined coast of Santa Monica and wishing he was somewhere else. Him finding out about his father's death and hating that they were never able to make amends and that they wouldn't never get a chance to now.

Her memories are intertwined with his. Her clutching a red shoe, terrified. Their father standing next to her on the roof of a Shatterdome pointing out constellations in the sky. Her curiously eyeing an infant Jake wrapped in blankets and delighting in holding him for the first time. Her training with a younger Jake, hanbo in their hands. Her sparring with Raleigh and laughing. Her piloting Lady Danger. Her begging Jake not to leave.

He can feel no anger from her though. No resentment or disappointment. Only happiness that he came back. That he's here now. That they can do this together.

He gasps, eyes opening wide, letting the memories and emotions wash over him as a strong neural handshake is established between them. 

"He'd be proud of you," she says quietly, smiling at him. "I am."

He didn't know that, and if he couldn't feel the strength of her conviction coming through their link, he wouldn't believe it either.

But he can feel the truth of her words, and they crash over him like a warm, heavy tidal wave, and as the water settles, he's left with a lightness he never thought he could ever have. Though he's shaken to the core, he feels better than he has in a long, long time.

Over the comms, the launch sequence is initiated and the countdown begins. But he's not nervous anymore. He has no reason to be. He's got his sister by his side, and they're _good_ \-- their connection is stronger than it's ever been -- and against the two of them together, these Kaiju don't stand a chance.

"Ready?" Mako asks as the countdown nears its end.

Jake grins. "Let's go save the world."


End file.
